Just A Game
by LeafRivalry
Summary: AU. I never thought I'd have so much fun making Shikamaru blush. So what if he has a girlfriend? It's not like I plan to fall in love with the guy! ShikaIno Slight SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

This will be a short, multi-chapter fic revolving around ShikaIno with some SasuSaku mixed in! Please leave a review telling me what you think! Hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

A blonde woman stepped off the plane that had landed only a few minutes prior with a smile on her face. She made her way through the airport, patiently going through customs and retrieving her baggage, before stepping outside. She inhaled the air and smiled. The sun was setting and the sky line was beautiful, it was simply movie-esque. She looked around the semi-familiar scenery, after all, it had been a while since she had been in her hometown, and only once before had she gone to this airport which was before she had left. Seven years. It had been seven long years since she had last been home. It was undeniable that she had missed this place, no matter how well her new home had treated her, but now she was back and she was here to stay.

"Yamanaka Ino, it has been a while since I've last seen you, my have you grown!" A voice spoke behind Ino, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"It's been two months, forehead. I haven't changed a bit since you came to visit me in Suna." Ino replied as she turned around to see her best friend of many years. A large grin was apparent on Sakura's pale, rosy-cheeked face. The blonde took in her appearance; Sakura's hair was silky, bubble gum pink and rested on her shoulders. She wore a sleeveless red top, black biker shorts and a pink skirt with four slits, making it easier to move around in.

"You're a walking fashion disaster, Billboard brow. I can't believe they allow you to roam the streets looking like this, I think my eyes are burning." Ino chuckled and shook her head while Sakura's grin only widened at the insult.

"It works on me, okay? And you're one to talk; I didn't know they let pigs on airplanes. I guess I owe Naruto that date he's been asking me on since we were twelve, since pigs can apparently fly now." Sakura retorted, in turn causing Ino to grin and giggle at their comments, which to other people would make it seem like they weren't very fond of each other, but in their case, it was how they showed their affection. A low growl broke the girls out of their reminiscent trance, and a protective arm was snaked around Sakura's waist, pulling her closer to the body that appeared next to her.

"The only way you'll be going out with that dobe is when I'm cold and dead, _Sa-ku-ra_, and even then, I'll be haunting him." The man snarled. Ino recognized him as Sakura's long-time boyfriend, Uchiha Sasuke, the object of every girl's affections back at their days in highschool. He had been the cold, mysterious, untouchable figure that had won every single girl's infatuation at one point or another due to his handsome features, athletic body, incredible wit and his indifferent attitude. In the end though, her best friend had penetrated his cold heart and engraved her name there.

"Who knew that _the_ Uchiha Sasuke actually cared enough about someone other than himself to become jealous?" Ino remarked with a chuckle, receiving a giggle from Sakura and a smirk from Sasuke.

"You might want to watch what you say about your boss, Yamanaka." Sasuke smirked. "And what do I have to be jealous over? The dobe is no threat to me."

"I don't know Sasuke, time has been kind to him. He has matured, sort of, he's grown handsome _and _he's successful. I might just leave you for him." A teasing reply came from Sakura, only to receive a threatening snarl as Sasuke pulled her closer to himself. Sakura let out a giggle and placed a hand on his chest.

"It's so much fun to rile you up. As if I'd ever leave you, Sasuke-kun, and for Naruto of all people. He's like a brother to me."

Ino watched the interaction with a smile. Sakura's smile had softened and her eyes had sparkled when she spoke to Sasuke, while Sasuke seemed at ease when Sakura was around, compared to how tense she knew he used to be in highschool and instead of only condescendingly smirking, he actually _smiled._

"Yeah, yeah. As nice as it is to see you happy, Forehead, I really do not feel like throwing up right now, Kami knows that the airplane food would probably taste even more disgusting coming back up. I thought you were supposed to pick me up from the airport and then go out for dinner to catch up, as if we need it, not stand here and relay our autobiographies." Sakura snorted at her best friend's remark and made a move to pick up one of her many suitcases, only to be stopped by Sasuke, who took it from her hand as well as another and left to place them in the car. The pink-haired woman shook her head with a smile while letting out something that sounded like _'chauvinistic male'_ before turning to Ino, looping her arm through the other woman's and pulling her along in the direction of the car.

"You really are a pig, Ino. Anyway, excited for your first day of work on Monday?" Sakura asked.

"I know," Ino beamed. "I'm kind of nervous more so than excited, but I'll get over that. Thank you again for getting me the job." She replied quietly.

"It's the least I could do Ino-pig." Sakura stated. "Besides, I wanted you back home, and I knew you couldn't stay in Suna anymore because of what happened with Sai and –"

"It's been a year, I'm over it. I don't care anymore." Ino defiantly replied with her nose in the air.

"I wish you could have come back right after that happened, so I could have supported you more." The pink-haired woman whispered. Ino knew Sakura felt guilty because she couldn't physically be there for her more than a weekend every few months. It didn't matter though, she had made it through and besides, Sakura had been constantly contacting her through technological means; they had skyped every night, texted non-stop in between classes and Sakura would call her every morning to wake her up so she wasn't late for university.

"Who transfers during their last year just because of a breakup? It's stupid. Besides, to have moved back here last year would mean that you would constantly be bothering me and I wouldn't have any time to actually do work. At least I work for your boyfriend now, and if I ever not finish my work, he'll know that it's because of your annoying ass." The blonde snorted as they reached the car. She noticed Sasuke waiting in the car, but waited for Sakura before she would enter.

"Hey, you should be grateful to me for even mentioning you for this position. Even though you have the qualifications, you lack experience so you would not be able to get such a great job as this without the greatness of Haruno Sakura." Sakura replied with a smile. "And it's fiancé now." Ino's eyes widened at the mention of the status. She couldn't believe it, the girl who used to be extremely socially awkward, who cried because of her slightly larger than average forehead, her little Sakura who had grown into a strong, independent, respected, beautiful woman and accomplished doctor was _engaged_.

"Sasuke actually had the guts to pop the question?! Well I guess it's almost official, soon he'll be tied to you forever." Ino remarked. She opened the front door of the car and popped her face in. "Hey, Sasuke! Get out of this while you can. This one will drive you crazy. And what happens when you two have children and she gives birth to a pink-haired boy?! A pink Uchiha! Ha!" Ino laughed before turning back to Sakura.

"Congratulations, Forehead."

"Thanks, Pig." Sakura replied as Ino pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm glad you're home, Ino." Sakura whispered into the embrace.

"I am too, Sakura." Ino replied back before they released the hug and got into the car. Both of them sit in the backseat to talk, leaving Sasuke alone in the front. During the drive, the pair got caught up in their current personal affairs. Ino questioned Sakura on how her career was going. After seven years in post-secondary school studying to become a doctor as well as interning at her aunt's hospital under her supervision, Sakura was hired by said aunt, Senju Tsunade, renowned as Japan's best doctor. Tsunade had been teaching her all about the art of healing and medicine since she showed up at her aunt's doorstep in the middle of the night demanding to become her apprentice at the age of twelve, so by the time she reached university, she was already more skilled and knowledgeable than the rest of the aspiring doctors and nurses.

Ino, on the other hand, had just finished grad school in Suna with a degree in Marketing. Luckily enough, her best friend just happened to be the girlfriend – er, fiancée of the owner of one of the most advanced car companies in the world, Uchiha Corp, and said friend had landed her a position which she was undoubtedly qualified for.

The rest of the drive was similar, the pair catching up, reminiscing on old times with the occasional comment from Sasuke.

* * *

Ino confidently walked into the large building at 7 am, albeit a bit groggy due to jet-lag and one too many glasses of wine at dinner with Sakura and Sasuke. Immediately she followed Sasuke's orders that she received the previous night to show the secretary her I.D, and then take the elevator to the top floor where the Uchiha head office was. She entered Sasuke's office after knocking on the door and receiving a standard 'come in'.

"Good morning, boss." Ino greeted with a small smile. In turn, Sasuke grunted and yawned before sipping some black coffee.

"Hn. Right on time, Ino. I've requested one of my best employees to help get you started here. Your first assignment will be to come up with a new marketing strategy for the latest Uchiha car. If he would only get off his lazy ass and be on time for once." Sasuke relayed the information to the blonde, adding a distasteful hiss at the mention of his tardy employee.

"I understand that he's one of your best employees, but why keep him around if he's always late, as you say?" Ino questioned.

"How troublesome. You just start and you're already trying to get me fired. And I thought we were friends, Ino." A voice came into the room as the figure closed the door. "And to answer your question, it's because I am apparently a genius. Honestly, I just think I'm average and everyone else is extremely stupid." Ino gaped at the familiar man. She took in his sleek black hair pulled into a tight, spiky ponytail at the top of his head, the bored expression in his eyes and his small smirk.

"S-Shikamaru?! _Nara Shikamaru?!_ " Ino exclaimed in shock as she hopped up and ran at him, engulfing him in a hug. "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been? You work at Uchiha Corp?" She fired multiple questions at the man. His smirk grew a bit wider as he shook his head.

"You have time for catching up later, such as during your lunch breaks." Sasuke tried to intervene but was cut off by Ino.

"What's your position? Are you in marketing too? Probably, considering you're so good at persuading people. Remember that one time that you convinced Choji to trade you his snack cake for a mud pie that you made back in fourth grade? Man, I still can't believe a ten year old fell for that, he had a stomach ache for three days! I wonder how he is, I miss him. Have you seen him lately? Oh! And how are Shikaku and Yoshino? Are you still giving poor Yoshino a hard time? Kami knows if you were _my _son I'd have sent you away to military school long ago. You really are –" Ino ranted but was interrupted as well as forced to unwrap her arms from Shikamaru as he pushed her gently away from him.

"Jeeze, Ino, first day I see you and you not only try to get me fired, but you also talk my ear off? What horrible thing have I done to you?" Shikamaru teased. Ino giggled before something clicked in her mind. Her smile was wiped away and instead a malicious glare took its place. A second later and a loud cry rang out.

"AND THAT'S FOR NOT KEEPING IN TOUCH ALL THESE YEARS YOU BASTARD! WE WERE FAMILY FRIENDS SINCE WE WERE BORN AND YOU CAN'T EVEN SEND A TEXT MESSAGE OR WRITE AN EMAIL EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE?! I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM YOU SINCE HIGHSCHOOL. _HIGHSCHOOL_!" Boomed Ino's voice and Sasuke was sure that the whole building could hear this…pleasant reunion. He turned his gaze to the man who was doubled over, wincing in pain and holding his stomach which had just received an assault from the blonde that would have made both Sakura and Tsunade proud. There was a moment of silence, save for the groans coming from Shikamaru on the floor, and Sasuke took this as his opportunity to complete his intended instructions and get them both out of his office before he got a headache.

"As I was previously saying, I want you to come up with a marketing strategy for the new Uchiha automobile, and Shikamaru here will be your partner in this assignment. Here are all the details regarding the car and its features, it will be the foundation for your project, I expect you to gather data regarding target consumers and come up with something to make it sell. Understood?" Sasuke commanded in a deep voice as he stared at the two with squinted eyes. Both of the employees nodded.

"Good. Now get out of my office before I call my fiancée and sic her on you two for giving me a headache, Lord knows when I'm in a bad mood, she's ten times worse." The Uchiha threatened and smirked as the other two squirmed, knowing fully well that they were both acquainted with Sakura's bad side.

"See ya, Uchiha!" Yelled Ino as she grabbed Shikamaru and ran out of the door, towards the elevator. They both composed themselves inside and Shikamaru pressed a button to make the elevator move.

"Anyway… I'll be your 'tour guide' today, show you around and get you familiar with the place and then we'll begin our work. Sound good?" Shikamaru mumbled as he rested his back against the wall of the elevator.

"Hey Shikamaru?" Ino called quietly. Shikamaru turned to her, expecting her to start complaining about being stuck with him, or about the work they have yet to begin.

"You know," Ino began, a small blush adorning her cheeks. "You clean up rather nicely. In our school days you always looked like a slob, but now," She looked him up and down. "In a suit you look pretty good, even if you are a lazy idiot; at least you're a good-looking lazy idiot, huh?" She finished with a teasing tone and a small smile on her face which grew as Shikamaru's face flushed.

"Troublesome." He whispered, his face hot from both embarrassment and flattery. "Let's go, this is our first stop." He began walking out of the elevator with Ino following closely. The woman smiled to herself, proud of her accomplishment at making Shikamaru blush. From that moment, she decided in order to have a little more fun in this business, that she would take every opportunity to embarrass Shikamaru, just to see that blush. _'He looks kind of cute' _ She thought as she followed him.

* * *

After the encounter at Sasuke's office, the remainder of the first day went off smoothly, considering they didn't really do anything but walk around the _extremely _large building. Shikamaru would show Ino around, taking the time to go through each and every floor just to get out of starting work that day, they had lunch together in the cafeteria and made small talk, Ino took every possible chance at making him blush available, which led to some awkward interactions with their co-workers, and then before they left work, Shikamaru invited Ino and her father over for dinner at the Nara's for an Ino-Shika-Cho family night. It was something that they haven't had for many years, and Ino was excited to see the faces of her other old friend and their parents again. She raced home and began to prepare herself for the gathering.

Which left her where she was now, walking side-by-side with her father, heading in the familiar direction of the Nara household. Inoichi was going on about something Ino didn't care to focus on, instead her mind drifted to somewhere else.

'_Shika sure has changed since I last saw him.' _She mused in her head. _'He's gotten taller, more mature.' _She thought, and a light blush adorned her cheeks as her next thought popped into her head. _'He has sure gotten handsome. I don't remember him being attractive at all back in highschool. Then again, back then I only did have eyes for Sai.'_ She quickly threw away her thoughts on her ex-boyfriend and focused back on the path. She then noticed the large house come into view and smiled as she nudged her father and picked up speed.

She was prepared to patiently wait for someone to open the door after she knocked, but was surprised when her father just pushed his way into the home and dragged her along.

"Shikaku! We're here!" Inoichi yelled as he took off his shoes and walked into the living room where the three Nara's and three Akimichi's sat. The blonde man received an open welcome from his friends, but their attention quickly turned to the younger Yamanaka.

"Well look who we have here! Ino! It's been quite some time, huh?" Choji greeted with a grin as he got up and went to embrace his old friend.

"Looking good, Choji! I've missed your bright smile." Ino remarked, her face also adorned with a grin.

"My, Ino, you've grown into a beautiful young woman." Yoshino commented and soon, Ino was engulfed into hug after hug. After getting reacquainted with one another, the group went to the dining room to begin dinner. Ino took a seat between Shikamaru and Choji. The room immediately fell into a cycle of conversation and Ino paid close attention to the details mentioned, as most of them had to do with Shikamaru or Choji's personal lives and what they have accomplished lately. She smirked as she remembered her little joke that she had been playing all day to make Shikamaru blush, and decided now, in front of two generations of Ino-Shika-Cho would be a better time than ever. Her ears spiked up at the mention of Choji being married.

"Huh? Choji, why didn't you tell me! I would've come back for the wedding you know!" Ino pouted at the thought that she wasn't invited to her friend's wedding.

"We didn't want to make it a big deal, Ino. We didn't even have a wedding, we just signed the papers!" Choji replied. Apparently, two years ago, Choji had proposed to his girlfriend of two years, Ayame. He had met her when she was working as a waitress at her father's restaurant, Ichiraku, which was most famous for its ramen.

"Still… Well, you'll have to take me to meet her someday soon!" She stated with a grin and received a smile and an 'okay!' from the man beside her. A thought clicked in her head and she decided to seize the opportunity concerning her little game.

"Hey, Shika, whatever happened to us getting married,hmm? Didn't we plan it years ago?" Ino questioned, acting innocent, but inside she was deviously chuckling. _'I need to talk to someone other Sakura. This "inner-self" is really creepy.'_ She thought, before turning her attention back to a flustered Shikamaru and tried her best not to grin like the rest of the adults did.

"_Ino_," He dragged out in embarrassment. "We were six when we said that we'd get married." Ino took this moment to let out a laugh.

"Oh, silly me, how could I forget?" She giggled.

"I always thought you two would make a cute couple." Yoshino chimed in with a smile, causing both Ino and Shikamaru to blush as they stared at the woman. An embarrassed 'Moooomm' came from Shikamaru.

"What? At least that way I know I'd have beautiful grandbabies. And I'd win the bet." She replied to the embarrassed moan from her son, which in turn, received shocked yells from the two.

"You bet on who I'd marry?!" Shikamaru yelled.

"Actually, we bet on which one of you my Ino would end up with." Inoichi jumped in, referring to him and Choji.

"I cannot believe this." Ino muttered darkly as she turned to glare at her father. "And who did _you _bet on?"

"Heh, I voted that you'd end up with Choji, heh…" Inoichi replied nervously, noticing her daughter's intense stare. He gulped and began to chuckle, before turning his attention back on his plate.

"This is why I didn't place a bet." Shikaku stated in between his food.

"At least one of the older adults acts their age." Ino mumbled with a pout on her face. The discussion quickly turned around, much to Shikamaru and Ino's relief. The latter turned to look at the spiky-haired man beside her and let out a small smile as she referred to the memory of them as six year olds making the promise to get married.

"_Shika! Get over here!" A six year old blonde girl called, as she stood beside a small, awkward pink-haired girl. The boy sighed and knew it was no use arguing, it'd only be more trouble for him if he did, and walked over to the two with his best friend Choji in tow._

"_What is it, Ino?" He mumbled as he stuffed his small hands into his shorts pockets. A paper with scribbles was thrust into his face as he started at Ino in confusion. "What is this?"_

"_Sign it. This means that we're going to get married, 'kay?" She grinned at the boy, holding out a crayon as well. Another sigh was let out as he grabbed the crayon and the paper._

"_It could always be worse, I could end up with someone more troublesome than you." He murmured as he scribbled his name down on the paper next to Ino's and handed it back to her._

"_See? You're already shaping up to be a nice husband! Husbands are always supposed to do whatever their wives tell them to do!" Ino remarked with a grin wider than before, as Shikamaru just shook his head while mumbling 'troublesome.' _

Ino's heart warmed at the memory of being a carefree child, the times when boys either had cooties or were your friends only because your parents knew each other, and they definitely did not break your heart like her ex-boyfriend had broken hers.

Pushing her thoughts about Sai away once again for that evening, her thoughts went back on her plan to make Shikamaru blush at every given opportunity. So far, it proved to be a source of harmless entertainment. She wondered if he would catch on. As if he had felt her gaze on him, he turned to look at her with a puzzled expression to which she smiled. _'This is going to be a fun partnership.'_ She thought, before turning back to the dinner table conversation.


	2. Chapter 2

_I just want to apologize for the wait._

_Just a few notes:_

_There's two more chapters to come! At first I wanted this to be a one shot, but it was getting long, so I figured I'd write it in a 3-4 part story to make it easier on me. _

_In this chapter, each break is supposed to progress the story by a week or two each time._

_Thank you for the amazing support so far, please enjoy! _

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Ino had moved back to her hometown and she was settling back in quite nicely. From seven am to six pm she would be working with Shikamaru on their marketing project at Uchiha Corp, then go home, have dinner with her dad and spend some time with him, then she would call Sakura and they would talk until Sasuke came home and started to get _–ahem- _frisky. She would then do some research for work before going off to bed and repeating the cycle the next work day. So far she had spent her weekends catching up with old friends and listening to Sakura's aunt Tsunade's stories about her youth and teasing her about it.

And that would bring Ino to where she was now – stuck in an office with Shikamaru at 8 in the morning on a Wednesday. Shikamaru was currently analyzing the car they had to promote while Ino was groaning with her head on the desk.

"You know Ino, perhaps the day would go by quicker for you if you maybe helped me with this instead of complaining." Shikamaru dragged out as he swiftly wrote. Ino lifted her head to look up at him and send him a glare.

"If it wasn't so early and I had some tea, I would be working and my work would be so much better than whatever you're doing right now!" She snapped at him, her eyes still in narrow slits as she willed his ponytail to spontaneously combust. "Besides, I should be allowed to complain sometimes, you yourself complain 23 hours and 14 minutes of the day."

"Weren't you supposed to be some kind of high and mighty marketing genius?" He questioned with a cocked eyebrow as he stopped writing and turned to look at her. He smirked as a light blush adorned her cheeks under his gaze and as she pouted and turned her head away. "Troublesome woman," he sighed "If you work until lunch break, then we'll go out to eat, hm? You can drink all the tea you want then. My treat, I guess." As soon as the offer was laid out, a blur of purple and blonde whizzed past his vision and the next thing he knew Ino was sitting right beside him and apparently deeply involved with his data.

He sighed and put his hands on the back of his head before looking back at the woman and letting a small smile grace his lips at her predictability. The only reason he looked away was when a voice broke them out of their tranquil setting.

"How's it going in here?" Sasuke's voice, enlaced with authority, boomed into the room as he entered to check their progress.

"Just fine, Sasu- I mean, Mr. Uchiha" Ino responded, not looking up from the work as she began to scribble some notes down in her own notebook. Sasuke nodded at her, although she did not see it, before turning his gaze to Shikamaru.

"Nara, just because you are a friend does not mean that you get to slack off and let Yamanaka do all the work. Get to it." Sasuke demanded, and Shikamaru could have sworn he heard 'lazy ass' muttered under the Uchiha's breath.

"Isn't he just the worst, Mr. Uchiha? Here I am, little old me, working away while he just sits there and stares at whatever he's been looking at as if he's cloud gazing." Ino teased, finally looking up. _'Cloud gazing sounds good right about now'_ Shikamaru thought to himself as he ignored the mini-lecture from Sasuke, which Ino took way too much pleasure in joining in on.

"You should really help me with this work, _Shika._" Ino smirked teasingly. At this time, Sasuke decided to leave, but not before scolding him once more. "I should just, I don't know, call home or give you detention or something like the teachers always did whenever you'd get caught sleeping in class all throughout high school and elementary school." She grinned and poked his side as she spoke. He just let out a sigh and smiled, before encouraging them to get back to work.

"I hope you know you're taking me somewhere good for lunch. I'm feeling like barbeque today." Ino stated with a smile and wink before returning to writing. _'Troublesome woman' _is all that crossed Shikamaru's mind as he jumped into his work, and since Ino was so indulged in her work, she didn't see the faint blush that crept up his face.

* * *

Every day that passed, Ino and Shikamaru's relationship progressed. They effortlessly fell back into old routine with each other, where they would walk home together after work, Shikamaru bringing Ino a hot cup of green tea with honey every morning, Ino stealing Shikamaru's hair ties whenever she was in too much of a rush to put her hair up before she reached work so Shikamaru would have to live with his hair down that day. Since she saw him with his hair down, Ino would purposely not put her hair up most mornings, just so that she could steal the hair tie that gives Shikamaru his trademark pineapple head, and see him with his hair down all day. He never even thought to bring an extra one.

Of course, whenever this did happen, Shikamaru would always squirm as Ino took out his hair tie from his hair and let it down. Her hand always lingered in his hair a little too long for his comfort. This would evict the reaction that Ino wanted from him and she would take it further by mentioning something flattering about the smell or the texture of his hair, causing him even more embarrassment and discomfort.

"You're so weird, Ino." He would murmur flustered, and that would cause Ino to grin in response.

"I thought I was troublesome?" She questioned, grin still plastered on her face.

"That too."

* * *

"Slide over Shikamaru!" Screeched Ino as she shoved the man into the booth of the restaurant, then proceeded gracefully to take a seat beside him. She smoothed out the crinkles in her skirt before looking across the table and shooting a friendly smile towards Choji and his wife. Ignoring the groan coming from the man next to her, she decided to start conversation as she contemplated her order.

"So, Ayame, what do you do?" The blonde woman asked as she put down the menu, deciding on plain rice and yakitori with green tea to drink, and turning her attention on the lovely brunette woman sitting across the table.

"Well, Choji and I are planning to open up a restaurant together. The construction is already in progress, but in the meantime I'm working as a chef at my father's restaurant. He's quite sad to see me go, but gave us his blessing anyway." Ayame spoke with a smile. A waiter arrived to take their orders, momentarily halting their conversation.

"That sounds wonderful. Well Choji has excellent taste and not only for women," Ino began, causing Ayame to blush with her teasing, "But I'm sure that the restaurant will be a success. You can count on me being a regular!" Ino grinned cheekily, before throwing her arm over Shikamaru's shoulder. "You can bet Shika will be there too!"

"Woman, do you have no sense of personal boundaries?" Shikamaru grunted, rubbing his sore arm that was injured when he was thrust into the booth. Of course Shikamaru didn't actually mind Ino's touches, she was a very touchy-feely person and he had grown used to it over the years, but he was a tad bit grumpy after being carelessly tossed like a pair of old sneakers.

"Mm, I thought you knew that years ago, Shika. Don't tell me you're losing your memory already, I thought you were supposed to be a genius?" Ino jabbed as she removed her arm that was slung over the man's shoulders and instead poked his forehead.

"When will you leave that genius stuff alone? It takes too much effort, I'd rather act like I know nothing so people won't bother me," He stated as his hand shot up to grab hers. "Stop poking me dammit."

"You need to stop being so damn lazy Shikamaru," Ino barked, not removing her hand from his and hoping that he wouldn't either. His hand was smooth and brought warmth to her, not to mention much bigger than her dainty little hand. She felt like a young school girl as she tried to fight the inevitable blush that was attempting to colour her pale cheeks.

"And you need to stop causing me so much trouble Ino," Shikamaru retorted as he let go of Ino's hand and leaned back against the seat he was in.

"You're ridiculous Shikamaru, _you're_ the troublesome one. I don't know why you're always complaining about me," Ino huffed and crossed her arms in front of her, turning her head away from Shikamaru. She'd never tell anyone, well maybe Sakura, but she felt a twang of disappointment when he let go of her hand.

Shikamaru was about to reply but was interrupted by Choji. "You two argue like an old married couple," Choji laughed, only to be on the receiving end of a death glare from Ino and a groan from Shikamaru who was too lazy to glare at his friend. Ayame, seeing the potential danger, jumped in to take the heat off her husband.

"So Ino, Choji tells me that you work at Uchiha Corp!" The brunette jumped in, successfully detouring the anger. It also helped that the waiter had arrived with their food and they paused to say a prayer before eating.

"Yeah, I'm a part of the Marketing division. I'm currently working on a project with this lug over here," Ino stated, her thumb jerked in the direction of Shikamaru.

"Yeah and so far, I'm the one doing most of the work. It's a drag," Shikamaru jumped in, sipping his tea as Ino glared at him for his comment.

"Yeah right! Half the time you're asleep before two!" Ino retorted, "Besides, quality matters more than quanitity,"

"I can't deny that your work is rather impressive…" Shikamaru uttered quietly, blushing slightly at the immense beam Ino gave him.

"Took you long enough to acknowledge me," She stated, "Anyways, I'm going to the restroom. Be right back!" Ino hopped out of the booth and walked in the direction of the restrooms.

"So, Shikamaru," Choji began, grabbing the other man's attention, "You and Ino have gotten pretty close, huh?" He asked with a devious smile, clearly indicating towards something.

"Yeah, I mean first they were fighting like they've been married for decades and then Shikamaru gives Ino a compliment that lights up her whole face!" Ayame threw in.

"You're reading too much into this," Shikamaru began with a sigh, "She's just a friend, we've always acted this way towards each other, it's just how it is," He said rubbing his head.

"With you two blushing so much, it certainly did not seem like you're just friends," Ayame stated with a smile as she sipped her drink.

"She _is _just a friend, okay? She's a third of Ino-Shika-Cho, our families have been friends for generations, do you know how strange that'd be if I liked her? It'd ruin our families' friendships. Then the Ino and Shika bond would become stronger and Cho would be left behind," Another sigh escaped his lips, "Besides, I have a girlfriend, remember? Temari?" Shikamaru then wondered if she and Ino had met, considering Ino had lived in Suna for a while.

"Weren't you in love with her back in high school?" Choji pointed out, earning him a slap in the forehead with a piece of chicken. Shikamaru's face was red, either with embarrassment or anger that Choji would dare bring up that time.

"I thought I told you not to mention that time again?!" He hissed and received a surrendering look from Choji.

"Okay, okay, I won't push this anymore!" Choji wiped off the sauce from his forehead with a napkin as he squinted. "I don't get why you make such a big deal out of it though"

"I don't want to be reminded of when I was too chicken to tell her and besides, she was infatuated with that creepy Sai," Shikamaru said. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Ino heading back for the table and motioned for the two to cease the conversation. Once she reached the table, she slid back beside Shikamaru and smiled at the other three.

"So, what were you talking about?" She asked but received a harmonious nothing, and decided to resume her original plan of getting to know Ayame.

"So, Ayame," She began, wanting to get the woman's attention, "Are you and Choji planning for a baby anytime soon?" This sudden, out of the blue question received three different response; Ayame turned bright red, Choji choked on his food, and Shikamaru smirked triumphantly.

* * *

"You have a nice apartment, Shika," Ino stated as she looked around from her current seat in the living room. There was a television in the corner, a small mahogany coffee table in the middle and two cream coloured couches against the wall. Shikamaru walked into the room holding a glass bottle of beer in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, offering Ino the wine. After taking it she knocked it against his drink in a toast and took a sip.

"It's not too bad, I guess. Enough for me," He shrugged, taking a long swig of his drink as he plopped down next to Ino on the couch.

"So…" Ino dragged, earning a questioning look from Shikamaru.

"So?" He questioned.

"I don't know what to talk about…" She sheepishly said, before taking another sip of wine. Shikamaru began to think about a subject topic as he inspected Ino's face. A blush was spread across her cheeks, this time however, it was from the alcohol. He wondered what her limit was when it came to alcohol. He had a pretty decent threshold, although he didn't like to drink too often. He took a drink as his mind started to wander, and happened upon the memory of the restaurant a few weeks ago, and how Choji and Ayame were interrogating him about his old feelings for Ino. Suddenly he became curious about the only aspect of her life he hadn't known too much detail about.

"What happened between you and Sai?" He asked, noticing her stiffen at the mention of his name. All her movements slowed, and the hand holding the wine glass to her lips began to tremble. He scooted closer to her, took her glass and put both their drinks on the coffee table before turning and placing an arm over her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.

"We're…best friends, right? I'm curious as to why you suddenly moved back after you oh-so-willingly dropped your life here and followed him to Suna," He stated in his usual lazy tone, but his voice was much lower and he spoke smoothly, as if to put her at ease.

"We were doing fine up until a year before the break up, we had our fights but that was when the big issues came to be," Ino began slowly, taking deep breaths to calm her along the way, "And then the topic of marriage came up. Knowing Sai, he'd never go for it, he was way too aloof. He didn't really know what he wanted and had a hard time dealing with his emotions. We were in the company of one of his acquaintances from art class when they questioned us about tying the knot," She said, the next part came out alongside a laugh, "She even said I was getting _old,_"

"I don't think you're old Ino," Shikamaru chuckled.

"Anyways, it was floating around my mind for the next few days, I thought considering we had been together for almost nine years at that time, longer than some marriages these days. So I thought why not and brought the topic up. Of course, he said he didn't see the point in it considering we were living together and had been in a relationship for so long, why would we need to get married to validate the relationship." Shikamaru nodded along to her story to show her that he was listening and processing the information.

"It's the principle of the matter, it's not about validity. Marriage symbolizes something sacred, pure and ever-lasting. He then questioned my faithfulness, asking if this marriage proposition was used to compensate for something that I've done, that I'd cheated and wanted to marry him to ensure that he'd still be with me despite being unfaithful. I don't know where he came up with that because it doesn't make any sense," Ino laughed, "So for the next two months we'd dance around the subject, and if it ever came up, we'd get into a huge fight. Sakura came to visit after that, and the two of us went down to the beach for a week, just to relax,"

"After an amazing week with my best friend, just forgetting the world, we came back to my apartment to find Sai in bed with two other women. I was devastated," Ino's voice began to waver, and Shikamaru gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, "Sakura was furious, I think she broke six of his bones that night," Ino laughed at the memory of a half-naked Sai fly throughout the apartment as he was being attacked by a small, pink-haired 25 year old Sakura.

"After that, Sakura took me to a hotel and extended her stay for a week and a half, and helped me find an apartment. Well, Sasuke did really, that Uchiha has connections everywhere," The blonde rubbed her chin as if she was thinking what occurred next, "After that nothing interesting really happened, I finished my last year of school with Sai pestering me and Sakura taking the occasional trip to see me. That's all there is to it," Ino finished.

"He's an ass, Ino. You're better off without him," Shikamaru said softly as he tugged Ino towards him in a one-armed embrace.

"You don't have to tell me that, I know," Ino laughed. She didn't know whether it was the alcohol getting to her, or the body heat, but the head radiating off of Shikamaru felt very inviting. She looked up at him to see his eyes closed, his cheeks slightly flushed and his lips parted as he breathed. She felt a desire to kiss him. After the past month she felt closer to him than ever, not to mention an attraction she had never imagined she'd feel for her old friend. He was always just the lazy genius Shikamaru, but now he was so much more than that, he was grown up. Mature. Less awkward, more experienced.

The more time she spent around him, which was quite a lot, the more the attraction grew. Now sitting here with the mood just right, both of them being slightly intoxicated as well, all equaled the perfect opportunity to move their relationship up a step. She focused on his lips and wet her own as the desire grew. _'What the hell, go for it.' _She thought to herself as her eyelids slowly drooped and her face rose. She could feel his hot breath on her face. Once her lips touched his, her eyes shut tightly. At first there was no movement on his part, this discouraged her and she was about to break the kiss and apologize, but apparently Shikamaru had a different plan as he suddenly deepened the kiss as his arms wrapped around her completely.

Their lips were locked for less than a minute when the doorbell rang. They slowly recoiled from the kiss, their eyes on each other the whole time. Shikamaru steadied his breath quickly and went to open the door, while Ino was left to calm her heart rate down.

"Hey there genius" A woman's voice, coming from the direction that Shikamaru went, filled Ino's ears. Her eyes widened and her heart raced. _'Who is that?'_

"Temari!" Silence passed for a moment, "Hey, I missed you. I didn't know you'd be coming today," She heard Shikamaru say. A pang ran through her heart in jealousy. _'They seem to know each other well enough,'_ She thought to herself as she reached over the table and took a swig of her wine again to preoccupy herself.

"Yeah well Gaara and Kankuro went away for a few weeks, so I thought I'd come visit you. Hopped on the first plane here," The voice known as 'Temari' said, "Is someone here?"

"Oh! Yeah, come, let me introduce you," Shikamaru said. Ino could hear their footsteps approach. She quickly finished off the wine and put the glass back down. She leaned back into the couch and awaited their arrival.

"Ino," Shikamaru called as they entered the room. Ino immediately scanned the girl, noting that she was very pretty, "this is Temari…my girlfriend. Temari, this is Ino, my best friend who recently moved back to Konoha," He introduced, Temari nodding and taking note. _'Ouch…friend'_

"Nice to meet you, Ino" Temari dragged out, Ino nodded at her.

"Likewise, Temari," Ino said as she stood up and turned to face Shikamaru, "Well, I should get going, you two probably want to have some alone time," Ino quickly spit out and grabbed her coat.

"Why don't you stay? I've heard a lot about you," Temari offered as she took a seat on the couch.

"Maybe some other time," Ino replied, "I promised I'd help Sakura plan some things for her wedding anyway, you two have a nice night," She stated as she headed to exit.

"Ino, wait –" Shikamaru's attempt to stop her was futile, as it only fueled her to quicken her pace.

"See you at work!" She weakly called from the door before closing it. She made it barely three feet away from the house before the tears started to fall.

'_I'm such an idiot.'_

* * *

_So, the thing is that I'm preparing for an audition for University coming up in two weeks, so I won't have much time to write. As soon as that is over with, I'll have more free time and finish the story quickly. I really don't like putting things on hold, as I'd prefer to update weekly, that just can't happen right now, so I'd like to apologize. Thank you for reading this and I hope you'll stick with this story until the end!_


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